


Holding onto You

by TemplesarentTombs



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Disabled Character, F/M, Homophobic Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 21:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9404498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemplesarentTombs/pseuds/TemplesarentTombs
Summary: Bran and Jojen always laughed when people automatically assumed they were a couple. They'd talk about it afterwards like it was so incredibly outlandish that it wouldn't make sense. But there were times that both of them thought it too but they wouldn't say anything, they'd both be thinking the same thing. They would wordlessly agree not to say anything out loud.Five times Bran and Jojen pretended they weren't acting like a couple and the one time they acknowledged it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> There's not enough fanfiction for this pairing, so I whipped this up real quick to post. 
> 
> The title is from the Twenty One Pilots song of the same name

1~

The summer before Sophomore year, Bran and Jojen marathoned the Harry Potter movies all in order several times. While Jojen liked the Harry Potter series a lot, he wasn't a hardcore fan like Bran was. Bran had been a fan since he first read the books in grade school. He'd gone through his Harry Potter phase and had never come out of it. Most everything he owned was Ravenclaw blue to pay tribute to his hogwarts house. The one that Jojen periodically reminded him, didn't exist. 

Now the two were flipping through the Stark's movie collection, looking for a movie for their weekend movie night. 

Much to Jojen's annoyance, Bran had snatched the fourth Harry Potter movie, suggesting that they ought to watch it.

“But Bran, we've watched those so many times that even I remember all the lines word for word.”

Bran looked disappointed, “It's my favorite one! What movie would you prefer?”

Jojen shrugged and sat back in a huff, crossing his arms on the sectional couch downstairs, “Anything but Harry Potter, please.”

Bran set his chin in his hand with his elbow leaning on his wheelchair arm rests, pouting. 

Neither boy was wanting to compromise, but the sound of loud footfalls on the stair case behind the couch distracted them both. Only one person hopped down the stairs that obnoxiously and loud. 

Arya marched right up to Bran and took The Goblet of Fire disc out of his hands before gathering the other Harry Potter movies in her arms.

“What are you doing Arya!? Can't you see it's me and Jojen's movie night?!” Bran shouted at his sister.

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, but Gendry still hasn't seen these so we're watching them tonight. You'll have to watch something else.”

Jojen couldn't help but smirk, “It's okay Arya, we don't mind watching a different movie, right Bran?”

Bran glared at Jojen, like he was a traitor.

Arya shrugged, “We could join you guys and we could watch it all together-” But before she could finish her teasing thought, Jojen and Bran interrupted her.

“But it's OUR movie night!” The yelled in unison.

“That's what I thought. Don't let us catch you down here swapping spit, yeah?” and with that she promptly rushed upstairs, leaving the two boys downstairs to work out what she meant by that. Needless to say, they didn't say a word about it. They did, however, agree to marathon X-Files instead of anything Harry Potter related. Jojen counted it as a win.

~~  
2

Jojen had his own driver's license and he had been saving for a car of his own. Meera tried urging him to get a cool car, not like the junkers that filled the high school's parking lot. When she finally heard what car he was planning on buying, she was very much against it.

“You're getting a van? Like the vehicles that families with small children are forced to drive?” she crossed her arms skeptically.

It was obvious that Meera didn't think Jojen was making a good decision, but Jojen didn't care. 

“Yes, a van, but not just a minivan. A van that's wheelchair accessible, so it would be easier for Bran.”

Being one of the youngest of a large family, Bran didn't have his own car. He had to get rides with his siblings and Jojen in Jojen's parent's car when they went somewhere. It would be way more convenient if Bran could just wheel up into the car instead of having to be picked up and put in the car along with folding up his wheelchair and putting it in the back seat. 

Jojen didn't understand why Meera was so against the idea.

“You do understand,” she started, surprisingly gentle, “that someday you'll be off at college and you won't need a car that's wheelchair accessible?”

“What are you talking about? Bran won't suddenly disappear.”

“I think you need to let him be more independent.”

Jojen scoffed, “He IS independent! Maybe you're the one who should lay off me a bit.”

She shook her head before throwing her arms up in the air in frustration, “Fine, buy an ugly ass car! At least you'll make your wife happy.”

And with that, she stomped to her room and slammed the door, leaving Jojen to write the email to the guy on Craigslist who was selling the van. He got it for only 2,500 dollars. Not bad.

~~  
3 

The van was very nice after it got cleaned up. Jojen had driven it for a few months already and he didn't regret buying it. It came in handy because Bran rode with him often, sometimes to and from school. 

Today, Bran and Jojen had met up with Robb, Sansa, Theon, Rickon(?), Arya, and their parents to watch Jon's hockey game. Jon was an excellent hockey player and it was like he was born for the cold.

Now they were on their way home in Jojen's van, and Bran and his wheelchair were in the passenger side.   
“Bran, do you want to stop to grab a milkshake or?” Jojen looked over at the other boy. Bran had fallen asleep with his hands folded in his lap. 

That was actually kind of sweet, Jojen had to admit. He turned the radio down a bit and drove slower through the bumpy road.

Jojen was still feeling like stopping though, so he pulled into the Mcdonald's drive through. When it was finally his turn to order, he ordered a vanilla milkshake for himself and a strawberry milkshake for Bran, since it was his favorite. 

Halfway home, Bran woke up in a daze. He did notice the shake almost immediately, so he reached for it and took a sip.

“Mmm, thank you,” Bran said, “You know that's my favorite.”

“No problem Bran Flakes,” Jojen smiled and turned up the music a bit. 

Bran felt warm and comfortable and he did have the fleeting thought that this all seemed a little “married”. He didn't have a problem with that.

~~  
4

Bran was studying for exams. He was feeling overwhelmed with all that he felt like he didn't understand and it was getting to the point where you couldn't relearn this stuff, he was just going to have to make do with what he knew now. He really did not want to be interrupted or disturbed. 

Living with so many siblings, however, made studying privately next to impossible and before he knew it, Sansa opened up his door in a rush.

“I need to borrow your calculator, I can't find mine anywhere!”

Bran groaned, “But I'm using it!”

“I'll give it back to you in like twenty minutes, promise!”

Then she looked down and Bran could tell she was looking at his sweater. What started as a curious look transformed into a smug grin.

“What?” Bran said looking down at his sweater, There better not be a stain on it.

“That's Jojen's sweater isn't it? That's cute,” she giggled.

He supposed it was. Jojen must have forgotten it here last time he was over. 

“Cute?” Bran asked, confused at her meaning.

“Yeah Bran, don't be thick. It's all very couple-ly. You're comfortable enough to wear his clothes without it being a big deal. That's intimate.”

Bran didn't reply, he just tossed the calculator Sansa's way, “Don't forgot to bring it back. I'm swamped in homework.”

“Like I said, ten minutes. I promise.”

~~  
5

 

For the Stark's annual Christmas party, Bran was allowed to have Jojen join the family gathering. There were going to be lots of people there this year, including their cousins the Lannisters, The Baratheons, and the Targeryens. Because Bran's extended family didn't all get along, it was always...interesting and somewhat dangerous. 

Bran didn't usually socialize with the majority of the family, he wasn't really didn't know his extended family well, so he usually just ate a little and stayed back in the corner reading or on his phone. 

This year it was nice to have Jojen there with him to keep him company through all the awkwardness.

Unfortunately, some of today's awkwardness was involving Jojen, not that he could help it. 

Bran had wheeled right under mistletoe and Jojen was right next to him. His cousin Joffrey was laughing about it, and pointing up at the plant hanging there in the corner of the room.

“Now the faggots have to kiss! Ha!”

Ignoring Joffery's homophobic language, Bran noticed that he hadn't ever thought about kissing Jojen. Maybe it was because he was so much taller than him because of the wheelchair? But now that he thought about it, it wasn't a revolting thought. Jojen was cute in his own way and now all Bran could do was think about kissing him. 

If only he could actually get to his mouth.

Jojen then dropped down to his knees, bringing him face to face with Bran before leaning forward to briefly press his lips to Bran's. Then he stood back up and they continued like nothing had happened.

For Bran though, it wasn't nothing. It changed something in the steady foundation of their friendship. Now that he'd kissed Jojen once, he was going to have to again. It had been amazing, but it didn't feel like enough.

~~

+1

Neither boy had seen each other until Meera's New Year's Eve Party.

Even though nothing had been said, there was a lot of tension between Bran and Jojen since the first kiss at the Christmas party. Bran really didn't know where he stood with Jojen now, he hoped that things hadn't started to change. He couldn't allow himself to drift away from his best friend. His life would be miserable.

Now Bran had even started to wonder about the things people said about them acting like a couple. Jojen and him usually ignored it or laughed it off, but looking back on it confirmed that those things were true.

They knew everything about each other and shared everything they had. Now thinking about it, there was no one in the world that Bran would rather spend his whole life with than Jojen.

To him, Jojen was like one part caretaker, one part best friend, and now one part crush.

It was ridiculous. 

Now Bran's wheelchair was set right next the chair that Jojen was sitting on, but they still were only making small talk. They were avoiding that topic like they always have, but Bran was getting tired of it.

“Jojen, about the party last week-”

Bran was cut off by the countdown the room was chanting to the new year.

“Ten!” the room shouted.

Jojen set his hand over Bran's forearm, “Bran. It's okay.”

“You regret it?”

The room continued the countdown.

Jojen sat there looking straight into the distance for a second, “No, I don't regret it. I'd do it again.”

Bran's heart started beating fast as the countdown reached three.

Jojen and Bran both leaned in.

“One!”

And sticking with tradition, Jojen and Bran started their new year with a kiss. Much to their surprise, murmurs were heard around the room of people saying, “finally” or “I thought it would never happen.”

Neither cared though because they both had finally gotten what they wanted and they were never letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
